Well-drilling machine



Patented Aug. 9, 1898:.

No. 608,8l0.

I. A. WEAVER.

WELL DRILUNG MACHINE.

(Application filed Nov. 11, 1897.)

3 Sheets$heet I.

(No Model.)

I-II u nu viii lllllll lllllmllllllllllll llll MMM @QXRMQ THE Norms ETEns co. wuor oumo" msumcron, D. c.

No. 608,8"). Patented Aug. .9, I898.

1. A. WEAVER.

WELL DRILLING MACHINE.

(Application filed Nov. 11, 1897) (No Model.) 3 sheets sheet 2 1r was. I ll .nllllllml l THE NORRIS PEI'ERS co. PHOTO-LITHQ. wAsumcYom n, cy

Patented Aug. 9, I898.

WELL DRILLING MACHINE.

R E v E w A.

(Application filed. Nov. 11, 1897.\

No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

" WWMQ VlEz 7,4

111] In ?/g rrnn OF ONE-FOURTH 'IO nIci ARD M. norm, on TRACY, IOWA.

. WE LLwDRlLLING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION aimin part of Letters Patent No. 608,810, dated August 9, 1898. Application filed November l1,1897 Serial in). 658,215. (No than.)

a well-drilling apparatus in which the sections of drill-rods may be readilyand quickly inserted and in whichthe drilling may proceed a distance corresponding to the length of a I drill-rod section before it is necessary to stop.

I-Ieretofore it has been customary'to stop the machinery andreadjust the'parts several i times during the process of drilling a distance corresponding to the length of 'a drill-rod section. f

A further object is to provide sim'ple,strong, durable, and inexpensive means whereby a yielding connection is established between the drill-rod and the devicefor reciprocating it, so that irregularities in the feed of the drillrod will not produce excessive jars'or strains upon the connectionthat is, thesp'rings of said yielding connection will serve to check or retard the motion of the drill-rod when at its lower limit. Hence .when the drill-rod is working through a soft substance the weight of the drill-rod will not be thrown directly upon the said connection, and when the rods are being fed too fast or in the event of solid substances entering the drill-hole,- where they will be engaged by the drill, the said springs will serve to cushion the impact which would be caused upon the said connection in this event. I i f A further object is to provide mechanism of simple, strong, durable, and inexpensive construction for receiving the cuttings from the top of the drill-rod and'for conductingthem to a place of deposit, which device shall be less liable to get out of order than those now in use, and, further, in this connection it is 1 my object to prevent noises incident to the operation of the drill-rod throughthis device.

A further object is to provide a device for coupling the drill to the lower end of the drill rod, which device shall cushion the impact of the drill, and thereby permit of a greatly-increased number of strokes per minute without destroying the screw-threaded joints of the drill-rods and other connections, as is the case where the drill is connected directly with I the drill-rods, and," further, to provide means whereby an operator at the top of thewell Inay'readily and accurately ascertain when the drill-rod is being fed too rapidly or too My'invention consists in certain details in the construction, arrangement, and combination ofthe various parts of the device, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in jmy claims, and illustrated in the accompanyiing drawings, in whichi 1 Figure l shows a front elevation of the mast and attached parts aboveground, parts thereof being broken away. Fig. 2 shows a fvertical longitudinal sectional view of the :bucket for receiving the cuttings and the accompanying parts. Fig. Sshows an enlarged detail front elevation of the device for connecting the upper drill-rodwith' a drill-rodoperating device. Fig. 4 shows a horizontal gsectional view, on an enlarged scale, through the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig; 5 shows a top view,

on an enlarged scale, of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 shows a horizontal sectional view taken through the line 6 def Fig. 3. Fig. 7 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the device for connecting the drill with the drillrod and for cushioning the impact of the drill-rod, parts of the same 3 being broken away. Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken through the line 8 8 of Fig. 7 and Fig. 9 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the cylinder which forms part of the cushioning device and showing the plunger therein and also byarrows the difrection of the flow of Water from end to end jof the cylinder around the plunger and from .the interior of the cylinderoutwardly. Fig. 10 is a partial sectional view showing rod 70 fiat right anglesto its position in Fig. 8.

refer to the parts of the well-drilling appa-= iratus that are aboveground. The reference- ;numeral 10 is used to indicate a mast or der-=.

'11, and upon this track is mounted a sliding In the following description I shall first too frame 12. This frame 12 serves to support the drill-rods and is moved vertically upon the track by means of the pitman 13, which is inserted in an opening in the said frame and connected therewith by means of the pivot 14. This pitman is connected with a crank 15 at its lower end, which same is mounted upon a shaft 16, and upon this shaft a drum 17 is fixed. The means for providing a yielding connection between the said frame 12 and the drill-rods comprises a frame 18,pivotally connected with the frame 12 by means of the rod 19. This frame 13 is arranged to swing in a horizontal plane and is normally held in position by means of the set-screw 20, which is seated in the projection 21 on the plate 12 and which engages with the frame 18. The reference-numeral 22 indicates a substantially Y-shaped projection extending horizontally outward from the frame 18. 23 and 24 indicate round plates having semicircular openin gs through which the screw-threaded drillrods may freely pass. This projection and the said plates arev held together by means of two bolts 25, which are passed through openin gs in the Y-shaped projection 22 and 011 opposite sides thereof through openings in the plates 23 and 24. Nuts 26 are placed on the lower ends of the said bolts. Extensile coilsprings 27 are placed upon the bolts 25 between the plates 23 and 24. Two like bolts 28 extend through openings in the plates 23 and 24 at points between the aforesaid bolts. The reference-numeral 29 is used to indicate a two-part nut. Illustrated clearly in Fig. 6.)

The opposite sides of this nut are held to-' gether by means of the bolts 30, and opening the central portion of the nut is a screwthreaded opening designed to receive the screw-threaded section of the well-tube. The said bolts 28 are extended through the ends of this nut 29, and, if desired, or when the weight of the drill-rods becomes too heavy, springs, like the springs 27, may be placed upon these bolts between the said plates 23 and 24.

By this arrangement and combination of parts it is obvious that when the drill-rod carried by the nut 29 is being fed down too slowly or through soft ground the momentum of the red when at thelower end of its stroke will be overcome by means of the bolts 28 pulling downwardly upon the plate 23 to thereby compress the springs between the plates 23 and 24, and when the drill-rods are being fed too rapidly or when the drill strikes an obstruction the downward pressure of the pitman 13 upon the drill-rod will be cushioned by means of the yoke 22 pressing downwardly upon the plate 23, which in turn will force the springs 25 against the plate 24, and the plate 24 will impinge the open nut 29. Hence the same springs will serve to cushion the connection in either direction. Furthermore, it is obvious that the drill-rod may be readily and quickly swung outwardly by simply loossuing the screw 20.

The reference-numeral 31 is used to indicate a drill-rod section screw-threaded throughout its entire length and provided with an angular portion at 32 to which a wrench maybe applied for turning the drillrod. This drill-rod section is hollow and is of approximately the same length as the ordinary drill-rod section. Means are provided for rotating this screw-threaded rod-section as required to feed it downwardly through the open nut 29. This means comprises a rod 33, mounted in suitable bearings attached to the mast or derrick and having on its lower end a bevel gear-wheel 34, meshed with a like wheel 35, which wheel is driven by means of the hand-wheel 36, attached to its shaft 37. Thisrod 33 is made angular at 38, and 39 indicates a bracket slidingly mounted thereon to support a cog-wheel 40, which is also slidingly but non-rotatably mounted thereon.

41 indicates a mating wheel fixed to the screw-threaded section 31 and meshed with the gear-wheel 40. The said bracket 39 has a vertical opening through which the rod 31 is passed, and lock-nuts 32 are provided on the rod 31 to hold the bracket 39 and gearwheel 41 in position. It is obvious that a rotation of the rod 33 will cause the screwthreaded rod 31 to be rotated at about the same speed, and it is obvious, further, that this rotation of the rod 31 will feed it downwardly by means of its engagement with the nut 29. The upper end of the rod 33 is supported in a bearing 42, which in turn is screwed to the mast or derrick.

I shall next describe the device located at the upper end portion of the mast or derrick designed to receive the cuttings from the upper end of the well-tube, so that they maybe discharged through a hose. This device comprises a track-section 43 to form a continuation of the track 11 and which is pivot-ally connected to be capable of swinging in a horizontal plane by means of the arms 44, fixed thereto and having openings in their ends which are designed to admit the upper end of the rod 33, to which they-are pivotallyconnected. The upper one of the arms 44 rests upon the top of the support 42, and hence the track 43 is prevented from moving downwardly. The bucket proper is composed of a cylinder 45, having a bottom 46, and through its central portion a sleeve 47 is extended, open at both its upper and lower ends. A discharge-pipe 48 is extended through the bottom to receive a hose through which the cuttings may be discharged to any suitable receptacle.

The reference-n umeral 49 indicates a sheave mounted on the end of a curved rod 50, which rod in turn is pivoted to the derrick or mast. A rope 51 is passed over this sheave to connect, by means of the eye 52, with the cylinder 45, and its lower end is wound upon the drum 53, to which a crank 54 is attached. By this means it is obvious that the bucket may i be readily raised and lowered by hand, and,

furthermore, the sheave is so mounted that when the bucket is swung laterally the sheave will swing with it.

At the upper endof the drill-rod 31 I have provided an extension 55, fixed thereto to project upwardly through the sleeve 47 and then downwardly, with its lower end arranged to enter the interior of the bucket between the central sleeve and the sides of the bucket. I have fixed to the upper end of the drill-rod 31 a series of flexible washers 56 to fit accurately within the sleeve 47 and which are held in place by the nuts 57 to thereby deaden the noise which would otherwise occur when the drill-rod engaged the interior of the sleeve and to hold the drill-rod to the exact center of the sleeve.

I have also provided means whereby the hinged track section 43 may normally be held to its position, and when it is desired to remove the drill-rod and toplace another drill-rod in position the bucket may be swung laterally, so as not to interfere with the raising of the drill-rod to its upper limit. For this purpose I have provided a gravity-latch composed of the part 58, connected with the derrick or mast and having its lower end projected inwardly to overlap an extension 59 011 the rear side of the track 43, and another arm 60 is formed on or fixed to the bucket proper to project under the gravity-latch 58. Hence when the bucket is raised this latch will also be raised a slight distance suificient to release the gravity-latch 58- from the arm 59, so that the track 43 may be free to swing laterally.

The reference-numeral 61 is used to indicate a sheave rotatably mounted in the top of the derrick or mast, and 62 indicates a rope wound upon the drum 17 and passed over the sheave 61 and designed to be attached to the drill-rods when it is desired to elevate them from the well.

In practical use with this form of the apparatus it is obvious that the drill-rods will be reciprocated by means of the pitman 13 and that the force applied through the pitman 13 will be cushioned by the springs 27 when applied to the drill-rod 31, and, further, duringthe operation of the drill-rod the cuttings, which are elevated through the drill-rod, will be deposited in the bucket intended for their reception and the bucket will not rotate with the drill-rod, and hence a hose may readily be attached to the pipe 48, leading from the bucket. The drill-rod is readily fed downwardly through the open nut by means of the hand-wheel 36 at any desirable speed, governed, of course, by the rapidity with which the drill enters the earth. Assuming that the drill has entered the ground for the length of one of the drill-rods and assuming that it is desired to place a new drill-rod iii position, we proceed as follows: The nut 29 is first opened, so that it will not engage with the screw-threaded dril1- rod section 31. Then the drill-rods are raised up by means of the rope 62. The gear-wheel 41 will lift the bucket in its guides until it is on the hinged portion, when it'will release the latch 58. The rods are then clamped and the threaded section disconnected. Then the thumb-nut 20 is loosened to thereby release the hinged frame 18. Then the lower end of the threaded rod is grasped and the entire drill-rod section, together with the frame 18 and the track-section 43, is swung laterally. Then another drill-rod section is screwed to the end of the drill-rods project ing out of the well. They are then lowered and the threaded section is swung back in position and connected with the drill-rods. Then the open nut is clamped to the lower end of the threaded section 31 and the operation proceeds as before.

Upon the lower end of the drill-rod I have provided a ball-valve 63 of common construction, so arranged as to admit the cuttings to travel upwardly through the drill-tube, but not downwardly. The reference-numeral 64 indicates the upper end of the sinker-bar, to which a drill-bit is attached, and 65 indicates a cylinder secured to the sinker-bar. In the top of the cylinder 65 is a block 66, having a central bore, and in this central bore is a series of annular grooves (37, and near the lower end of the cylinder 65 are two or more small openings 68. A spring-valve 69 is located on the interior of the cylinder to engage the inner end of each of said openings to permit the flow of water into the cylinder, but not outward] y therefrom. 70 indicates a fiat bar having its lower end inserted in a slot formed in the top of the sinker-bar, and said bar is designed to project upwardly through the central portion of the cylinder.

The reference-numeral 71 is used to indicate a rod screwed into the lower end of the drill-rod, passed through the opening in the block 66, and of somewhat smaller diameter than said opening, for purposes hereinafter specified, and having its lower end screwthreaded at 72.

7 3 indicates a plunger cylindrical in shape,

closed at its top, and having the said screw threaded end 72 screwed thereinto. On the outer surface of the piston is a series of annular grooves 74, and the diameter of the piston is slightly less than the internal diameter of the cylinder 65. The lower end of the pisten 7 3 is open, and two semicircular guiding pieces 75 are secured to the interior of the piston to engage the sides of the fiat bar 7 O and to prevent the piston from rotating relative to the cylinder, or, in other words, to

compel the cylinder to rotate with the piston. In practical use this part of the apparatus operates as follows: It is to be understood that a well of this kind is always supplied with water. The water enters the cylinder (35 through the valve 69 and in the top of the cylinder around the piston-rod. Hence the cylinder will be constantly supplied with water. When the drill-rods are on their up ICO stroke, the drill will be raised by the pressure of the water between the piston and the block 66; but as the piston fits loosely in the cylinder and the piston-rod being of a somewhat smaller diameter than the block 66 a portion of the water will escape down by the piston and out by the piston-rod. The escape of the water will be slow, as the flow will be retarded by the angular grooves on the piston and in the block 66. The escape of the water allows the drill-rods to rise higher than the drill-bitwe will say three inches. Then as the drill-rods start on their downward stroke the drill will start to fall by the force of gravity; but as the drill-rods are forced downwardly the drill will also be forced downwardly by the pressure of the water below the piston. A portion of the water will escape from the lower end of the cylinder up by the piston, which will allow it to descend a short distance in the cylinderwe will say one inch. Consequently when the drill-bit strikes bottom the rods will have two inches to descend. Then the water in the lower end of the cylinder will compress the air in the plunger and check the fall of the drill-rods. It is to be understood that this plunger is open at its bottom, but closed at its top, and that it is introduced into the water in the well with its open end down. Hence the air in the plunger will be partially compressed, but retained within the upper end of the plunger, where it will serve the function of an air-cushion as between the top of the plunger and the water within the cylinder 65. The pressure of the air will also hel start the rods on their upstroke. It is obvious that the drill-bit, together with the sinker-bar and cylinder, is driven only by the pressure of the water in either end of the cylinder. Then as the drill-rods are pulled up in the well the pistons will be elevated and a vacuum formed under the piston. This will permit water to flow through the openings 68, as required, to fill the space beneath the piston. Furthermore, the entire weight of the drill will rest upon the piston in this upward movement, and the piston will be forced upwardly to a point near the block at the top of the cylinder. However, this operation will be quite slow, for the reason that the only escape for the water from the space between the top of the piston and the block at the upper end of the cylinder is through the narrow opening around the rod 71, in which the annular grooves 67 are placed to impede the rapid flow of water, and also downwardly around the cylinder, which is also provided with ann ular grooves for the same purpose. In practical use, assuming that the device was bein g operated under ordinary conditions, upon each downward stroke of the drill-rod the piston 7 2 would be forced downwardly in the cylinder a distance approximating one inch, and inasmuch as 1'10 water may escape from the lower end of the cylinder the greater part of this movement of the piston within the cylinder is due to the compression of the air within the piston, and during this downward movement the space between the upper end of the piston and the top of the cylinder is filled with water that enters same from around the piston and also from around the rod 77. Then as the rod is again pulled upwardly the water contained in this space is slowly and gradually forced outwardly in a direction downwardly around the piston and upwardly around the rod.

It is obvious that by reason of the air-cushion formed within the piston a much greater pressure is required to force the piston upwardly in the cylinder than it is to force it downwardly and that upon the downward stroke a yielding air-cushion is provided, while upon the upward stroke the space between the piston and the cylinder is filled with water and the water moves outwardly therefrom quite slowly. This device is also of great advantage in the event of the drill sticking in the rock in which the drilling is being made. In this instance as the drillrods start on their upward stroke there would be a strong and constant pull on the drill by reason of the water being confined between the piston and the block 66. As the water gradually escapes the piston moves up in the cylinder until it strikes the block 66, when the momentum of the drill-rod would cause a positive shock or jar, which usually is sufficient to dislodge the drill. Thus we have a slightly-cushioned pull upon the drill in ordinary use, and when the drill-rod sticks the advantages of a shock or jar to the drill are obtained. Another advantage obtained by the use of this kind of a drill-rod attachment is in the event that the drills are being fed too rapidly the piston 7 3 will eventually strike upon the lower end of the cylinder 65, and this impact of the metals may be readily felt at the top of the drill-rod, and, on the other hand, if the rods are fed too slowly the piston will strike against the top of the cylinder, which impact may also be felt. Therefore the operator at the top of the well may ascertain with the greatest accuracy whether or not the drill-rod is being fed at the proper speed.

Having thus described the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various features of the apparatus, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is

1. In a drilling apparatus, the combination of a derrick or mast, tracks on said derrick or mast, a frame mounted on said tracks for vertical reciprocation, a device hinged to said frame to swing laterally, an arm projecting outwardly from said device, two disks having a central opening to admit the drill-rod secured to said arm, two bolts extending through the said laterally-projecting arms and through the said disks, a two-part nut designed to admit the drill-rod and positioned below the lower one of said disks, two bolts passed through the said disks and through the said nuts, yielding pressure devices interposed between the said disks, and means for connecting the parts of the nuts, all arranged and combined substantially in the manner set forth.

2. In a well-drilling apparatus, the combination with a hollow drill-rod having a downwardly-curved section at the top means for feeding the rod downwardly by a rotation of the rod, means for forcing the cuttings upwardly through the rod as it is reciprocated, a bucket having a central sleeve extending through it for the passage of the drill-rod, an outlet-pipe in the bucket, a curved rod pivoted to the derrick capable of swinging in a horizontal plane, a sheave mounted in its top, a rope fixed to the bucket and passed over said sheave, a drum mounted near the base of the derrick to receive the said rope, and a crank attached to the drum, a track upon which the bucket may slide, a section at the top of the track hinged to swing laterally with the bucket, a gravity-latch for normally holding a hinged track-section to its normal position, and a projection on the bucket to engage said latch when the bucket is elevated and throw the latch out of engagement with the trackscction so that the entire bucket and hinged track-section may be swung laterally, substantially as and for the purposes stated.

3. In a well-drilling apparatus, the combination with a drill-rod, of a cylinder interposed between the lower end of the drill-rod and the drill, a drill fixed thereto, a piston connected with the drill-rod and slidingly but non-rotatably mounted in the said cylinder, and means whereby a liquid within the cylinder may slowly pass the piston when a greater downward pressure is applied to the drill-rod than the upward pressure of the cylinder caused by the impact of the drill.

4:. In a well-drilling apparatus, the combination of a cylinder closed at its bottom and having a small central opening at its top, a drill fixed to the lower end of the cylinder a piston within the cylinder, a rod connected with the drill-rod passed through the opening in the top of the cylinder and fixed to the said piston said piston being of such a size with relation to the interior of the cylinder that a liquid may slowly pass from the lower to the upper end of the cylinder around the piston, and said rod being of such size with relation to the opening in the top of the cyl= inder that a liquid may slowly pass from the upper end of the cylinder around said rod, and means for admitting liquid into the lower end of the cylinder. t

5. In a well-drilling apparatus, a combination of a cylinder provided with lateral openin gs at its lower end, a sinker-bar screwed into its lower end and having a transverse slot therein, a block at its top having a central opening, and a series of annular grooves in said central openiu g,a rod connecting with the drill-rod of a smaller diameter than the opening in the said block and passed through said block, a cylindrical piston closed at its top and open at its bottom and secured to the said rod, and of a diameter somewhat smaller than the interior of the cylinder, and having a series of annular grooves on its outer surface, a fiat bar having its lower end mounted in the slot in the sinker-bar and projected upwardly into the interior of the piston, and guiding devices on the interior of the piston to engage the sides of the said flat bar, and one-way valves in the openings in the lower end of the cylinder, all arranged and combined substantially in the manner set forth and for the purposes stated.

6. In a well-drilling apparatus, the combi nation of a derrick or a mast, a frame mounted thereon for vertical reciprocation, an arm hinged to said frame and capable of swinging in a horizontal plane, a drill-rod section externally screw-threaded, a two-part nut designed to be detachably secured to the drill rod and a cushioning device interposed between the said arm and, the two-part nut to operate in the manner set forth and for the purposes stated.

7. In a well-drilling apparatus, the combination, of a hollow drill-rod of the class in which the cuttings are forced upwardly through it by a reciprocal motion imparted to the said drill-rod, means for-feeding the drillrod downwardly by a rotation thereof, and a bucket having a sleeve in its center to admit the passage of the drill-rod, an outletpipe at its bottom, and an arched pipe having one end fixed to the top of the drill-rod and its other end extended to a point within the bucket, substantially as and for the purposes stated.

IRA A. WEAVER,

Witnesses:

W. R. Lnonv, HAL Scorn 

